One happy trend to emerge from the passing of David Lynch last year was seeing people rediscover his entire body of work. His films are almost all held in the highest regard, but even this most singular of oeuvres has runts in the litter. 1999’s The Straight Story was critically acclaimed on release, but tanked at the box office. Some cited its relative conventionality as a possible problem, with its simple homespun charm falling between the towering gonzo behemoths of Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr. It’s apt that this charming underdog tale should become an underdog itself, but a new Studiocanal Blu-ray release shows it to be more than worthy of its place in Lynch’s filmography, both as a quality piece of work and as an example of Lynch’s style.
Lynch’s primary inspiration was always the mask of Americana, burrowing beneath suburban politesse to discover the darkness that lay underneath. The Straight Story sees him changing tack, exploring a more rural milieu, and with a more optimistic eye than usual. The opening credits underline how different this is for Lynch; against an Eraserhead-evoking background of stars and the sound of crickets, the words ‘Walt Disney Pictures presents’ appear. Everything about The Straight Story’s narrative and themes makes it Lynch’s most accessible picture, probably due to the fact that he didn’t write the script. Co-written by John Roach and Lynch’s long-time editor and co-producer Mary Sweeney, it’s a gentle tale, centred on one man’s slow-paced mission to right a wrong.
The farming community of Laurens, Iowa, forms part of a vast central plain filled mostly with crops and the roads that bisect the fields. It is on these roads that Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) will have to travel if he is to see his stroke-ridden estranged brother in Wisconsin. He’d drive if his eyesight, bad hips and lack of a driver’s licence weren’t holding him back, but Alvin circumvents these obstacles by opting for a ride-on lawnmower as his chosen transport. His daughter (Sissy Spacek) waits behind to hear word he’s made it safely, but going at only 5 miles per hour means the trip will take weeks. The Straight Story is a uniquely stubborn but determined road trip movie, with Alvin calling in favours and depending on the goodwill of those he meets to get to his eventual destination.
Lynch sounds like an odd choice for this material, but any other director would have romanticised this into distasteful schmaltz. His direction is observant, capturing the plains in wide shots that emphasize the distance Alvin has to go. Lynch’s films are almost always set in aggressively (sub)urban settings, and he welcomes the chance to stretch out and bask in the warm haze of DoP Freddie Francis’s hazy sunshine. The slow transport encourages Alvin and the audience to relax and take in the view, while encountering anticipated but unwelcome obstacles. The mower was always bound to break down, and its speed makes it a hazard to others, but these interludes see Lynch let his guard down with his characters, never second-guessing their motives, while still keeping enough of his directorial tics in order to avoid cheap sentiment. The Straight Story has an episodic structure, but it encourages a relaxed pace that enraptures you. This is helped by one of Angelo Badalamenti’s most memorable scores, its plaintive violin driving Alvin and his mower on while tinged with sadness.
Energising as Lynch’s presence is, The Straight Story is dependent on Farnsworth’s devastating turn as Alvin. Having started his career as a stuntman (he worked on Gone With The Wind and Spartacus), before progressing to bigger roles (The Grey Fox, Misery), he capped his career with a performance of understated emotionality, with just his watery blue eyes betraying the depths of that emotion. The reasons for Alvin’s broken physical and mental state are revealed only gradually, leading to a monologue detailing his war experience and his battles with alcohol. The vulnerability in his voice and those eyes combine to break the heart. The fact that this was Farnsworth’s last role, passing just a year after the film’s U.S. release, adds a layer of poignancy to an already moving tale. With patience and skill in its filmmaking, The Straight Story shows that age need not be a barrier to dignity and the desire to do good. This underdog deserves to bark loud and proud.
Blu-Ray Special Features
- Audio Commentary by Peter Tonguette
- Mark and Bob Tell It Straight
- Straight & Narrow: inside the film
- Far & Wide: Inside the Score
- “Straight Talking: A Making Of” interview with David Lynch
- Image gallery
- Trailers
The Straight Story is released on Blu-ray from StudioCanal on 9 February.
